The Tribal Instinct and the Yearning to Belong

Why do large numbers of people meet in St. Peter's Square every year to celebrate Mass on Easter Sunday? What accounts for the controversy about the refusal of a high-profile sports figure to stand for the national anthem at each of his team's games? Why did the members of a large religious community commit suicide at the direction of their maniacal leader? How do warriors rationalize going into battle in the face of possibly being severely injured or killed? What is the role of followers and supporters in the ability of some people to engage in dangerous or life-threatening activities? Why do groups of strangers join in celebrations that can last for days when they seemingly have little in common? What accounts for people attending fashion shows, auto races, or conventions about extraterrestrial visitations? Why do members of a major religion meet in the desert sands of Arabia to encircle and pay homage to a sacred stone? What is it that celebrities do to make us believe they have special or mystical powers beyond that of normal humans? And why was Hillary Clinton only partly right when she said it takes a village to raise a child?

Anthony T. Cluff provides an eye-opening examination of the common thread running through all of this in his latest book, The Tribal Instinct and the Yearning to Belong. It offers a new look at tribalism and the role it plays in our lives. We make a mistake, Cluff argues when we consider tribalism to be all bad. It's not, and it can operate in many ways to our advantage. Our primitive ancestors found that out the hard way. We need to find out the same thing today if we are to survive as a species. And Cluff cautions us against blindly going along with the crowd to fulfill the demands of this important and powerful instinct.